Five Tips to Building your Business with AWS

The AWS Build-A-Business Workshop promotes innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development in Latin America through a series of GriffinWorx workshops. Our first event is in Costa Rica on April 27-28. Register here.

Each Build-A-Business Workshop is a two-day experiential, mentor-driven event supporting the development of innovative new businesses. Working with GriffinWorx, government leadership, AWS experts, universities, and grassroots organizations, our goal is to empower new businesses and collaborate with business solution providers in the region to uncover hidden opportunities and actionable solutions that will ignite innovative thinking and behaviors.

Cloud technology can be a game changer for entrepreneurs and economies. At AWS, we want to give new businesses a boost in their business planning, demand generation, and technology innovation to bring their products or services to market.

Here are five essential actions startups can take to use AWS technology as a driver of innovation:

Take advantage of AWS Activate:AWS Activate is a program designed to provide startups with the resources to get started on AWS. All startups can apply for the Self-Starter Package. We also have custom Portfolio and Portfolio Plus packages for startups in select accelerators, incubators, Seed/VC Funds, and startup-enabling organizations. In addition, each startup participating in the AWS Build-A-Business Workshop will receive $1,000 in AWS promotional credits.

Work with the Government: Technology ecosystems require collaboration to grow and thrive. Startups should identify methods for crosscutting collaboration with governmental and non-governmental organizations. Most countries have small business advantage or incubation programs, which can include a collection of local mentors, business loans, or facilities to use as you get your business off the ground.

Be Curious: Learn what would ultimately make your customers successful. Dive into the details from your customers’ perspectives. What matters most to them? How can you make their experience better? As you are building your business, start with an end goal and map out the steps to get there. This can reduce surprises.

Think Globally: With tools like AWS LightSail, you can have technology that is offered to the largest of enterprises for the cost of a cup of coffee. AWS pricing gives customers of all sizes the opportunity to access innovative cloud services.

Create your “Board of Directors:” Increasing the quality and quantity of entrepreneurs requires increasing the quality and quantity of local mentors and coaches dedicated to empowering the next generation of innovators. From the start, engage with mentors you trust locally who can open doors for you. Ask them to give you constructive feedback as you get started. Local mentors and coaches can help build strong teams, design viable business models, secure customers, and generate revenue rapidly. The result is the growth of scalable and investment-ready businesses.

“At AWS we believe that investing in entrepreneurs creates a more well educated and successful workforce,” said Jeff Kratz, General Manager of Worldwide Public Sector for Latin America, Canada and the Caribbean at Amazon Web Services. “Technology innovation can drive economic development around the globe, and we are committed to supporting the entrepreneur across Latin America.”

By reducing the barriers for innovation to flourish, we are encouraging Latin America’s entrepreneurial ecosystem growth and the empowerment of innovative businesses. Take your current business or idea to the next level and register today for the AWS Build-A-Business Workshop.